Former 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel reflected on his time as a Niner and the relationships he built along the way
Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel reflected on his time as a Niner in an article for the Players’ Tribune. We’ll highlight some of the excerpts, starting with Samuel’s relationship with head coach Kyle Shanahan.
“The relationship that me and Kyle got is ridiculous. You can ask anybody in the building. One minute, he wanna knock my head off, and the next he’s just going crazy, excited at something I’m doing. I’ve always felt like he coaches me harder than anybody else because at the end of the day, he knows I ain’t no sensitive-ass player. If you tell me I messed up, I take it on the chin and go fix it instantly. But our relationship is more than just “The Coach” and “The Player.” Kyle knows damn near everything that I’ve been through in my life, and I damn near know everything he done been through. It’s like that. It’s a bond you could never break. So, we talked it out. It was hard, in its own way. But more than anything, I was just proud of the way we both handled it, as men.”
If you’ve ever been to a 49ers practice over the previous five seasons, it doesn’t take long to realize Samuel is essentially Shanahan’s son. The two are always interacting. Before practice begins, Deebo usually plays catch with Carter, Kyle’s son. The bond is very, very real between the two. Being able to walk into Shanahan’s office and have a difficult conversation about the trade says it all.
Speaking of the trade, here’s Deebo on how it unfolded:
“When the trade happened, and my mind was flipping through all the memories like a scrapbook or something, I just kept reflecting on how our guys put in so much work together. Our locker room gave college vibes, you know what I mean? It wasn’t like your typical locker room. Everybody’s so close, everybody hangs out. I think about how close I got with Aiyuk when he first came in as a rookie, back when he wasn’t talking to nobody lol. I knew J.J. a little bit from college. And then younger guys like Ricky and Jacob that I built relationships with, who are close as hell to me to this day. It’s not as easy as people think.
After I talked with Kyle, I talked to John, and he understood where I was coming from and gave me his perspective on everything. He called me and gave me permission to seek a trade, and we talked about why we thought it was a good move for both of us. And listen, for John and Kyle to send me to a team in the NFC that was almost a Super Bowl contender, it just shows you the type of love and relationship that we have. I know at the end of the day, they didn’t have to do that. So, it’s not a lick of bad blood when it comes to me and that organization. It’s always love.”
Lynch and Shanahan could have been spiteful and sent Deebo to a team that had zero chance of succeeding. Again, relationships matter.
San Francisco wasn’t able to get over the hump, but they were on the doorstep multiple times when it came to winning a Super Bowl. Here’s Deebo on falling short of winning a Lombardi trophy and his draft class being spoiled:
“I remember my first game in 2021, I went for almost 200. And I was like, Oh, shit, this might be THE season. I mean, I just felt like everything was going my way. I feel like every pass I caught was at least like 20, 25 yards. And then I sprung a long like 79-yarder and it took me over the hump. And I just kept growing from there.
In 2024, I was like, Bro, we back in the Super Bowl. This is crazy. That’s why I say I’m one of the most spoiled players that probably ever been a part of the game. Our draft class to San Francisco — me, Bosa, Greenlaw, all of us. All we know is like NFC Championship, Super Bowl, NFC Championship, Super Bowl. But my biggest regret is that we never finished the damn job. The second one actually hurt more because I’ve been in the game long enough. And at that point, you know you’re going to lose some players, key players at that. But in that moment, not only am I thinking about myself, I thought about the other players who were almost at the end of their career. Trent Williams, one of my best friends, like a big brother to me and mentor, I wanted it so bad for him. I was ready to put it all on the line to help him get his ring. I wanted that for all of us.
I was just like, Bro, we gotta win. This is the year that we have to do it.
And we fell short.
Still, man …… a lot of damn good memories.”
I don’t think fans are aware of how spoiled they are, either. At SB Nation, we are broken up into different “teams.” Every day, I’m interacting with somebody who covers the Raiders, Browns, Packers, and Seahawks. I started covering the 49ers the year Samuel was drafted. It’s been predominantly sunshine and rainbows.
Each of those teams would trade places with the Niners in a heartbeat. A six-win season is the norm for the Browns and Raiders. Seattle and Green Bay are fortunate to win a playoff game. But in San Francisco, winning one playoff game during Shanahan’s tenure is viewed as a disappointment.
Deebo said he began watching Washington because Jayden Daniels is best friends with Brandon Aiyuk. Samuel said, “I think this is one of the best possible fits for me, where I can go in and help a team. I got a feeling this season is about to be one of them ones.” Lastly, Samuel gave out a thank you:
It’ll never not be bittersweet though. That’s why I just wanted to take a minute before I start this new journey, to write something from the heart, you feel me. I just want to thank everyone from the top of the 49ers organization on down. I’m damn sure going to miss the players that I built real bonds with. The coaching staff, cooks, Corry, Peter and the whole media squad, equipment managers. Yo, shoutout to Memo, for holding me down all these years!!!! Man, that’s my dog. Anything I need done … if I forgot something at the stadium, he’d bring it to my crib. Like that is my guy. Everybody in there knows that. Everybody gets it. The head man, Jaybird, one of the coolest guys in the building, comes in and hoops with the guys in the locker room. Rob, Gilby, like man, that whole equipment staff is amazing. Thank y’all for everything.